Gods and Religions
Human Religion Time Line Early Spirit Religion 4,000 QA - 3,456 QA Early humans worshiped the gods of nature, praying for rain or successful hunts to survive. These gods were often simply called spirits and had domains directly related to themselves. Rain Spirit, Boar Spirit, Fire Spirit, ect.. God-king Shü 3,505 QA - 3,000 QA Humans worshiped the strong amongst their own. A man named She unified several local clans through his great strength, created the first human city Muh Shü, and lead the humans against the Elvish Imperium, declaring himself a god. Shü and his descendants ruled as Gods for generations, and as other city-states sprung up their rulers declared themselves gods. Imperial Influence 3,454 QA - 2,000 QA After the Andro-Elven peace, Humanity came into contact with the Elven Gods, separate divine entities without mortal form, but with reaches that extended beyond singular concepts. Many humans adopt these faiths, but they quickly change from generation to generation, becoming distinct from Imperium faiths. These early faiths eventually evolve into the Ceraxis Pantheon. Ah Dahm 33 QA - 7 AL A human is born to a virgin in the city of Nod. He claims to be the Avatar of a great deity Ah Dahm and teaches human wizards the nature of the multiverse, and urges humanity to travel the earth. He works a series of great wonders before climbing to the top of Mt. Xeranidon and self-immolating. The Oracle of Xiathan has a vision of Ah Damn returning from the ashes to again rebuild the world. Expansion Westward 7 AL - Present Humanity travels west, after Ah Dahm’s urging, landing on Aero. The religions of Aeron’s settlers and those of Ceraxis, divide in a few ways creating two distinct pantheons: Aeron and Ceraxian Pantheons. Religions Ceraxian Pantheon Myth The world was created when Tantarus slew the great serpent Tiamat and built the world from her corpse. Tantarus then created the four elements from her body and named them his children: Terr (Earth) from her bones, Auk (Water) from her blood, Aer (Air) from her breath, and Frit (Fire) from her soul. These children then set about creating the landscape of the world, while their father Tantarus created humans. Frit taught the humans the art of war, Aeo taught them the art of study, Terr taught them the art of craft and agriculture, and Auk taught the art of sailing and fishing. The moon goddess Lunam, Tantarus’ wife, then taught the elves and humans the power of writing, but Lunam favored the Elves. She taught them the power of Magic and the secret to eternal life and promised they would always be special to her. Piro, god of order, sprang from the mixture of dirt and sweat that had gathered on Tantarus as he labored over his creation, and Xao, goddess of Chaos, sprang from Tantarus’ blood. Piro attempts to keep order in the world. He ensures a fresh harvest every season. He brings the rain after droughts and lets children carry on where their parents left off. He is worshipped around ceraxian as a god of the harvest, the seasons, and of ancestry. Xao is the sworn enemy of Piro bringing ruin to all he creates. She strives to bring an end to society through chaos and panic. Temples are haphazardly erected to "worship" her. Her followers do not practice anything traditional. She is worshipped as a god of instability, chaos and at times, death. Aeron Pantheon The world is governed by three Fates: Nara (plans and prophesy), Dica (chance and chaos), and Meta (unknowable madness). These fates tasked the hero Theo with defeating the ancient Dragon Goddess Tiamat that ruled over the earth. After casting down Tiamat, Theo appointed his siblings to rule over the corners of the world: Espur to rule the North, Vino to rule the South, Cyan to rule the West. Maraish Faiths The Maraish worship a set of hold individuals whom they try to emulate in their daily lives, in opposition to Asizair the Grasper, who wishes to swallow the world with his army of the undead and detestable child, Avaleur World-Swallower. Preparers of Ah Dahm There are many who look to Ah Dahm as the savior of the world, awaiting his rise from the ashes to reclaim his dominion on earth as the Phoenix God. Other Faiths The Forsaken The gods are not good. The forsaken, while unable to deny the existence of the gods, have never been blessed by their grace. They forsake their divine might and instead focus on the pleasures and works of Man: sex, food, crafts, song. Their “Temples of Man” are great whorehouses where there is always a good time, but often little morality to be found. Way of the Wand Some believe that the gods are simply wizards that have grown so powerful that their magic becomes divine. They strive to unlock the secrets of this power themselves and ascend to godhood. The Cult of Tiamat A nihilistic faith built around the idea of the resurrection of Tiamat and domination through destruction. Cult leaders have had visions of the great dragon goddess and her earth-born children, and emissaries have been sent to some of the less ethical dragons and their kin. Elvish Religions Elven Imperial Hexagram Most Elves worship the Elven gods of the Hexagram, and maintain small temples, often in conjunction with some humans, in human settlements. Onisterra & Terratotem Two camps formed within the Imperium: those that believe that only a return to nature could elevate them once again (Terratotem), and those who are actively trying to solve their problem with science (Onisterra). Onisterra Onisterran (or Imperialists) worship two trios of Gods representing powerful symbols in the culture of the people. Lux (Light), Tenebrae (Darkness), which together become Lunam (The Moon), in addition to Magusars (Magic), Manusars (Crafting), together creating Victoria (Victory). They tend to focus on the individual gods within the Hexagram, rather than the whole. Terratotem Terratotem (held by Spiritualist Elves) is the belief amongst many that their Fall is a result of a lost connection to the natural order of the world and that only a return to a simpler way of life can return them to immortality. Terratotemists live almost exclusively on The Homeland, striving for peace and tranquility, many taking up druidic or monastic lifestyles. They wear long single cloths wrapped around their bodies in a robe, representing the weave of the multiverse and its interconnectedness. They worship the continuum of the Hexogram, rather than the individual gods. The elves of Thane follow an evolution of terratotem belief centered around the "six elements of the Hexagram", which they define as fire, water, earth, air, light, and the spirit. The first four elements make up all things, light (often "moonlight") illuminates the world and is the source of all magic, and the spirit is the spark of life that inhabits all living things. This spiritualism is also spreading among rural humans on Thane, and druids are becoming a less uncommon sight. Dwarven Gods Dwarven Religious Order The Crystal Conclave Dwarven Gem Gods Dwarves worship eight Gem gods, Mideas the Golden Mistress and one chief God. Each God has an emotion and precious stone tied to his worship in addition to aspects of everyday life. The Grey God The chief god and creator of the dwarves, the Grey God is the pinnacle of balance, having equal parts of all the other deities. He brought his children from the stone, breaking the rocks that contained them with his giant hammer. Rotstein, The Ruby God Commonly considered to be the God of War or Rage, but Dwarves would rather think of Him as the embodiment of impulse. Ruby Followers very seldom think before acting and are very spontaneous in their actions. Ümberig, The Moonstone God The tall god of snow and ice. He brought the wonders of magic to the dwarves. Unlike most of the dwarven gods he is often depicted as wandering the world and is thus seen as the god of wanderlust. Mideas, The Gold Goddess Also known as The Golden Mistress, she is pictured as the young goddess of trade and prosperity. Both the least revered and the goddess with most followers. Many conservative dwarves looks down upon followers of Mideas as only paying lip service to common mammon instead of proper Dwarven values. Nonetheless the churches of Mideas receives both prayer and donation from all dwarves. Jordanirung, The Emerald God When The Grey God struck the stone and created the children it was not he but Jordanirung the god of spring that raised the newborn dwarves. He taught them how to survive in the darkness of Onixias caverns and how to love on another. In his names his priests serves as midhusbands and as caretakers of orphanages and daycares so that others might work. Azhurean, The Sapphire God The god of time and water is considered the principle god of good health and old age. Although his clergy is aloof he is seen as a patient and nurturing god, slowly creating caverns using the streams to form caverns and the moisture to create structures in stalagmites. Ceris, The Amethyst God Officially the god of sleep and dreams he is also considered the god of alcohol. His priests are said to brew pilsners capable of curing hangovers, while his dedicated followers are few and far between no dwarf hasn't whispered a prayer to him after a heavy night of drinking. Gohidra,The Rosean God(dess) The quartz god(dess) of many hues most commonly depicted as a rose androgynous figure. (S)he is the patron of the poor and the curios. Many dwarves sees it as their duty to offer pittance, something that the priests preferring to be done out of the kindness of ones heart. However not all followers are kind hearted or poor as both alchemists and less reputable sorts counts themselves as followers. Zaless, The Diamond God The stable hard working god of industry, serenity, law and truth. Upheld as the most respectable and stable clergy they often see to legal proceedings that the dwarven nobles aren't trusted or seen capable enough of overseeing. Onixia, The Obsidian Goddess Goddess of the caverns, patron of the unknown and Lady of that to be feared. She is the dwarven goddess of death and fear although just as, if not more, often invoked to bring it to your enemies as to save yourself. Halfling Religion The halflings of Thane fall into two camps which are not mutually exclusive. Most halflings on the island practice both religious forms. The first is a druidic religion that closely mirrors that of the native elves, though the halflings focus more on communion with nature rather than the Hexagram. The elves of course just see it as a more simplistic view of their own religion. Religious leaders of this faith are druids. The second halfling faith is one of folklore. Rather than gods, they have parables and fables. The clerics of this faith are called "Storykeepers," and their power comes from ancestor and animal spirits represented in the tales. Thee Storykeeper clerics can choose from the Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, or Trickery domains, depending on their personal-favorite set of stories. Bullywog Gods Wug-Wug Jeff The Guy with the Hammer Flies That One Tree, you know, with the Branch Tears of the Empress Isle of Thane Bullywugs of Thane follow the Great Red Toad Guardians Religion The Great Mother The majority of Guardians (aka the wild halflings living on the Half-Breed Island) believes in a druidic goddess called the Great Mother. She personifies elemental forces and gives druids a political power in Guardians society. Luna, The Moon Lady Some Guardians follow an ancient and until very recently almost forgotten cult of Luna, the Moon Lady. About 1,5 year ago during a religious ceremony Luna for the first time in known history showed herself to her believers. The cult leaders were initially shocked that their goddess has a body of an elven female, but they were thrilled that she actually existed. Since then the cult of Luna is rapidly gaining followers. Category:Religion